The Big Stories of 2013

FOR PHILADELPHIA, 2013 was filled with crushing lows and euphoric highs, but the biggest stories shaped us, made us better, and united us in ways we could never have imagined.

School Closings – Facing a $304 million structural budget deficit, the School District of Philadelphia closed 24 public schools in 2013. In a city with at least 40,000 vacant parcels, the closings placed large abandoned buildings in communities that could ill-afford more vacant structures.